‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: The striker’s path from injury table to goals with Athletic
Thehe first time Gorka Guruzeta competed in England, an teenage appearing for the youth squad against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at Wycombe’s stadium in the 2015 season, he scored. During his subsequent match he played in England, against Sunderland following that, he converted. His third outing, against Manchester City soon after, well, he repeated the feat. As he revisited to the city to play against the Red Devils at Leigh Sports Village in the 2017 season, he did it once more. A spectacular strike, too. “Actually,” he says, “it ranks among my finest I’ve netted.” So Athletic did what they had to do: he was replaced.
“I got well angry,” the attacker says, before breaking into laughter. “Probably there’s a recording. Our match against United and I was in fine form. They didn’t let me play the final 45 minutes: my contract wasn’t finalized agreement, goals were flowing, there were lots of rumours, you know how it is. No confirmation on the Magpies’ pursuit, but I remember reading about Manchester United, the usual talk. I’m not certain if it was accurate, but had they contacted me, I would have wanted to stay at Bilbao. I feel lucky to be here.”
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At the facility, Bilbao, the early training is set to begin; after it, the short journey to Loiu and another flight to England, now to take on the Magpies in the Champions League on the upcoming match. Just saying those two words makes Guruzeta smile. It’s turning out to be a tough year for the club, partially owing to the demands of competing at this level. Defeated late on in the weekend clash, they have managed just one win of their past eight league games and lost against Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in Europe. Yet, consider the broader view, the memorable evenings and upcoming events, and he feels a calm gratitude from him.
In the 36 months since he had returned to the club, Guruzeta has been a semi-final participant, denied at the last hurdle the showpiece event by United, and has boarded a decades-old barge along the Nervión river surrounded by countless supporters after winning the Copa del Rey, the first title in a long wait. He’s now the club’s leading marksman in the Champions League, where they are countercultural and making their first appearance in ten years. “This was beyond my dreams,” he states.
Guruzeta thought it hard enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. As the child of the former Real Sociedad player the former professional and a season ticket holder at the opposition side, the forward is from the Antiguoko academy, the Donostiarra team that developed the coach, the legendary midfielder and the tactician. His move to Athletic came at seventeen but after his top-level debut in that summer, he suffered a serious knee problem, the cut, a drop in category and a recall before he could finally secure an opportunity, coming back aged 26 to live the best days of the club’s history.
“Joining the setup doubting you’ll make the first team but each step you advance through you’re persisting and you can see it getting closer. You get there but … you’re sent away.” He featured briefly in six matches in half a dozen appearances between his first game and February 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games there and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A massive setback but I reflect on it as something positive because it forced me to alter the way I saw things. Recovering from a long-term injury is hard, but it’s beneficial. You adopt practices new to you. It’s not about neglect, but I would go to training and then go home, like when you’re a kid. At the complex, you have everything, so utilize it all. Practice, prevention. Hit the weights. Should your hips be uneven, correct it. If your ankles are a 10, enhance it further. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.
“In the first team you’re going to collide with opponents who have been in battles 200,000 times. Extremely powerful. Reviewing old images: my physique was slight. Thus incidents occur. Look at pictures of me now and it’s totally different. Injury made me see that. Training finishes, but further effort is needed. Teammates are set, really ready; the same applies.”
Minutes are crucial. Guruzeta departed in tears in the pandemic season, at 23 years old, joining the second tier. During his Sabadell spell in that season, he scored three times in forty appearances. At Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the goals started to flow. “It’s a common path: loans, terminated contracts. Should you reverse it, effort, faith, and should the time come a vacancy arises in your position, they might come back for you. Preparation is key. When the opportunity came, it was a dream come true. To then win the Copa del Rey, compete continentally, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
Little surprise he states savor the moment. All the more so after the prior campaign which, at times, was focused on persistence. From top scorer with 16 in 2023-24, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
